Ron Padgett – 365 Days of Literacy for Kids!

Ron Padgett – 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! How to add a fun daily dose of Reading with 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! Last year, on January 1, 2011, I began a daily series that I named 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! As a retired *Reading & English Teacher and Grandmother of 9 young children, I felt I still had it in me to plan, organize and write an itsy, bitsy “lesson” each day for parents and grandparents to use with their kids… just for fun.

Ron Padgett – The Giraffe

I grabbed a 201i calendar and set about my work, filling each month with a theme and each day with a detail

January – Poems
February – Adjectives
March – 31 Days of Letters
April – A Shower of Words
May – May Flowers
June – June Bugs
July – Toy Stories
August – Birds
September – Idioms
October – Obsolete Words
November – All About November
December – Read-It-Again Winter & Holiday Books

I found great joy in the challenge of writing each day.

I loved hearing from friends, family, teachers, total strangers and my grandchildren when they enjoyed something, learned something or laughed at something.

I find myself going back now to last January 1st and 2nd and 3rd to revisit the lovely poems, words, meanings, beauty.

I’m sure I’ll find myself going back to many, many days with my own grandchildren, too, because I love the excitement in their words, “OH, I REMEMBER THAT!”

Share the fun with your kids & grandkids. 

THE GIRAFFE by Ron Padgett –

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“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.” – Jean-Paul Satre

But sometimes, reading a poem in January can be as fun as swaying through a savanna in June. Why?  Because today’s poem, THE GIRAFFE, by Ron Padgett is about… you guessed it, a giraffe!  Poetry is often called the most concentrated form of literature because every syllable and every letter is carefully designed by the poet to create one exquisite effect.  In THE GIRAFFE, renowned American poet Padgett presents brilliantly humorous wordplay that brings his readers to the very essence of THE GIRAFFE.  See and hear for yourself:

Ron Padgett

THE GIRAFFE by Ron Padgett

The 2 f’s
in giraffe
are like
2 giraffes
running through
the word giraffe

The 2 f’s
run through giraffe
like 2 giraffes

Read the poem aloud with your children.  Read it several times.

By the 4th of 5th time, you’ll be smiling and laughing at the childlike fascination of those 2 f’s in giraffe, and the poet’s effect will be as clear as a sunny day on the savanna!

You and your kids will see the word giraffe exactly as the poet sees it and marvel at the discovery.  And to think that 2 letter f’s could bring so much fun to your day…

Remember, it’s all about the WORDS.  The fun.  The sharing.  The “Oh, I get it!” feeling of language and words and syllables and, in this case, 2 letters that just happen to run through giraffe.

Kids love this poem.  Have fun with it, too!

LITERACY is all about the words.  Written, Spoken, Felt.

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*Sharon Couto graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in Education/English and holds a Master’s Degree in K-12 Reading/Education from Boston University.  Sharon taught high school English & Reading for 30 years.  She has 4 adult children, 3 in-law & 1 “soon-to-be” in-law children and 9 beautiful grandchildren.  Promoting Literacy is Sharon’s mission.

 

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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